Host “mom” has had nothing but great experiences with international students

Lise-Anne Workman (left) has nothing but good things to say about the AMDSB's international student program, having hosted eight different students over the last three years, including Napasorn (Rose) Thinnakorn, of Thailand. ANDY BADER/MITCHELL ADVOCATE

Even though she has children of her own, Lise-Anne Workman is happy that international exchange students feel comfortable enough to call her “mom.”

Workman and her husband Kevin have opened up their Adelaide Street home to eight international students the past three school years – they had the space and they wanted their own children to experience other cultures. It’s worked out beautifully, both for their 17-year-old son Joe and 10-year-old daughter Brooke, but also for them as well.

Not to mention the students who come from abroad, all anxious and no doubt a little apprehensive to experience what life is like in rural southwestern Ontario compared to the bright lights of big cities like Bangkok and Madrid.

Such was the case for 14-year-old Napasorn (Rose) Thinnakorn, who spent this past school year with the Workmans, along with a 16-year-old Japanese student.

Rose, who went home to Thailand at the conclusion of her school year at Mitchell District High School (MDHS), thoroughly enjoyed her time in Mitchell and even has hopes of returning in September – and even longer.

“I really like it,” Rose said, who’s English has improved tremendously just by being immersed in it all the time. “I like the weather, and the culture and everything is new to me.

“I like the way people look at us, they don’t look at us weird,” she continued. “They don’t judge but in Thailand they do.”

She also finds the people here friendly – and safe, noting she loved the freedom of just being able to go for a walk.

“We don’t even have a sidewalk like here,” Rose said.

Workman was already getting emotional a couple of days before Rose left, saying “it’s going to be tough when they leave. It’s been lovely. She’s been like my daughter.”

When she found out just recently that Rose wants to return to Mitchell and stay with the Workmans and finish high school in Mitchell, Workman was even more emotional.

“That touched me just to know that it feels like a family. She doesn’t have any siblings at home, so she has the eye-opener of what it’s like to have siblings here, and the things we go through with siblings,” she said with a laugh. “Definitely she was part of the family. She’s certainly touched our lives.”

Rob Simmons, Vice-Principal of International Education with the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB), said there were approximately 250 international students from all over the globe – from the far east like China, Japan and Korea to European nations such as Italy, Austria and Spain – that spent time in Huron and Perth counties this past school year, with 20 of those at MDHS.

It is the hope that the AMDSB can attract more international students, which not only increases the enrolment of the board’s high schools and therefore enables them to offer more courses, but also provides a positive experience for both host families and the students themselves.

To do that, more host families are needed.

“It’s a good program, it benefits the community in a lot of different ways,” Simmons said. “Not just the students, but I know a lot of the adults that have had a great experience.”

Workman received a phone call from an acquaintance asking if they’d be interested in being a host family. That year, there were a group of 13 students coming from Brazil that needed a place to stay and after talking it over as a family, decided to give it a try.

“That first year there were three places they would hang out and this was one of them,” she said, adding her son – who attends St. Mike’s in Stratford – still keeps in touch with his Brazilian friends today.

“What we can give our kids, that was the biggest thing. Opening up that multi-culture. My son now can speak Portuguese and some Japanese, and he’s very involved. That just melted my heart,” she said.

Workman wondered about the kind of impact she and her family were having on the students, too, but need not have worried.

“Rose has grown maturely, become independent,” she said. “I taught her independence, and seeing that myself made me feel like I’m doing a good job as a host mom. From Day 1 they’ve called me mom. To know that they’re felt comfortable enough to call me mom – Kevin they call dad, and Kevin – for us to have that much of an impact on them …. and they feel like part of the family, that’s what we get out of it.”